Student Punished for Wearing American Flag Shirt: Right Call?

Students protested by wearing red, white, and blue duds to school after a fellow student was punished for wearing an American flag shirt. The sophomore wore the tee, which featured a tie-dyed flag motif and the words, "United States of America, Washington, DC" on the school's "hippie day," part of their homecoming festivities. The school's assistant principle deemed the shirt a violation of the school's dress code which forbids, "shirts/blouses that promote specific races, cultures, or ethnicities."

For wearing the flag shirt, the student was forced to remove it and wear a bright yellow tee in its place that read, "DCV: Dress Code Violator." His sister said the punishment shirt was pretty traumatic, "It was really embarrassing and humiliating to have to wear that all day — and just for supporting your country." The school has since reversed its decision amid the protest and publicity. The superintendent says that the assistant principle felt it was in violation of the dress code, but they've now changed their interpretation of the clause. He says, "Certainly we are taking responsibility for it and it will not happen again. A shirt that has an American flag, a shirt that has a Chinese flag or a Mexican flag, is certainly not a violation of that part of the dress code." District officials have apologized to the student, and the student body turned out fully clad in red, white, and blue the following day.

I think the thing is, the school wanted to prevent offensive shirts, but judging what would be offensive could be tricky. I mean, a girl in my high school wore one of those "abortion is murder" sweatshirts pretty much every day to school, and I felt so sorry for any of the girls at the school who had gotten one!
Instead of putting a judgment over what was offensive, they did something REALLY common and just banned all shirts with symbols and writing.
Now they are trying to backpeddle, to allow shirts with flags, but think, when they first wrote this rule, who was going to think to say, "we should allow flag shirts though!"
I think it's much ado about nothing. The kid violated the code, and then they thought a little more about a way to make the code work and still allow kids to wear flag shirts. So, the kid did a really good thing, and all is well. I highly doubt the school is anti-patriotic.

I think the thing is, the school wanted to prevent offensive shirts, but judging what would be offensive could be tricky. I mean, a girl in my high school wore one of those "abortion is murder" sweatshirts pretty much every day to school, and I felt so sorry for any of the girls at the school who had gotten one!Instead of putting a judgment over what was offensive, they did something REALLY common and just banned all shirts with symbols and writing. Now they are trying to backpeddle, to allow shirts with flags, but think, when they first wrote this rule, who was going to think to say, "we should allow flag shirts though!"I think it's much ado about nothing. The kid violated the code, and then they thought a little more about a way to make the code work and still allow kids to wear flag shirts. So, the kid did a really good thing, and all is well. I highly doubt the school is anti-patriotic.

I think schools go too far with the wrong things when it comes to dress code. I understand no gang prints, your skirt and shirts can only be but so high -for obvious reasons, no foul words or anything else that could insult the average person or the mentally ill. But this kind of shirt wearing should have been left alone by the school.

Oh come on, obviously the school didn't want people wearing Puerto Rican flag shirts to school on PR pride days, and the easiest way to prevent this way to have this rule. However, they realized how stupid it was, which is fine. Good for the student who broke the rule and made a fuss.
This cracks me up though:
"For wearing the flag shirt, the student was forced to remove it and wear a bright yellow tee in its place that read, "DCV: Dress Code Violator." His sister said the punishment shirt was pretty traumatic, "It was really embarrassing and humiliating to have to wear that all day — and just for supporting your country.""
Yes, I'm sure he was so upset, kids in high school live for that sort of notoriety, I'm sure kids at my hs wished tee-shirts were given out when they got in trouble.

Oh come on, obviously the school didn't want people wearing Puerto Rican flag shirts to school on PR pride days, and the easiest way to prevent this way to have this rule. However, they realized how stupid it was, which is fine. Good for the student who broke the rule and made a fuss.This cracks me up though:"For wearing the flag shirt, the student was forced to remove it and wear a bright yellow tee in its place that read, "DCV: Dress Code Violator." His sister said the punishment shirt was pretty traumatic, "It was really embarrassing and humiliating to have to wear that all day — and just for supporting your country.""Yes, I'm sure he was so upset, kids in high school live for that sort of notoriety, I'm sure kids at my hs wished tee-shirts were given out when they got in trouble.

political correctness is tyranny in disguise....This punishment and rules are ridiculous.I went to a christian school (st john lutheran baby! Go Saints!) and i was a bit...different. I wore a red hot chili peppers shirt once, the one where they are naked except for tube socks, Homeroom i was told to turn it inside out and that was it, no public humiliation, no trip to the pastors office.....

political correctness is tyranny in disguise....
This punishment and rules are ridiculous.
I went to a christian school (st john lutheran baby! Go Saints!) and i was a bit...different. I wore a red hot chili peppers shirt once, the one where they are naked except for tube socks, Homeroom i was told to turn it inside out and that was it, no public humiliation, no trip to the pastors office.....